Community leaders want the government to take responsibility.
One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane in Marikana on Tuesday 16 August 2022. Photo: Abigail Hauer/Eyewitness News
MARIKANA – The South African government is under fire for neglecting the community of Marikana a decade after the deaths of 34 coal miners.
The Amcu union led a ten-year commemoration of the massacres on Tuesday.
Community leaders want the government to take responsibility.
Politicians attending the 10th anniversary of the Marikana massacre issued a stern warning to the African National Congress (ANC)-led government.
The feeling that President Cyril Ramaphosa should take responsibility for the 2012 deaths has been heightened by calls for the government to accelerate the transformation agenda in society.
Some minority party leaders want better services, housing, and compensation for killed and injured workers.
They also want the site of the killings to be declared a place of remembrance.
United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holamisa told the community that the only hope for justice is a new administration after the 2024 general elections.
The crowd responded by chanting ANC go.
One of the leaders of the SA Movement, Mmusi Maimane, dared Ramaphosa to declare a day of remembrance for the community or to forever refer to him as Mr Satellite, a reference to the actions Ramaphosa called for in an email before the tragedy in 2012.
“Declare today a memorable day while you are still president, so we can say that at least something was said to you. Announce it today,” urged Maimane.
The only government confirmation of the celebration was a media statement promising to address the mining town’s socio-economic problems.
WATCH: ‘August 16 should be a public holiday’ – Marikana massacre 10 years on
